Tag: Christianity

Sevenfold: A Workman’s Guide to the Leadership Gifts

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Last decade (2010-2019), I worked in state government: The Department of Labor and Workforce for 2.5 years, and TDOT (Tennessee Department of Transportation) for 7.5 years. As one might expect, the environments, well, they were kind of like your favorite soda but flat – very little in terms of bubbliness, morale, positivity, widespread humility, grace, selflessness, and other hallmarks of a healthy culture.

After my first year at TDOT, I started getting frustrated with God as to why He opened a door for me into a place I didn’t fit, let alone have a clear, defined future. At the time, I was two years into a six-year youth ministry assignment, which provided some sense of purpose punch. But by day, I sometimes wondered ‘God, why did you bring me to this desert? I know you made me for much more than this.’  

After a few months of wrestling, I decided to meet up with my dad and my wife, Lyssah, for lunch. During our talk, we discussed our royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) identity and how the concept of being commissioned for ministry was largely confined to licensed liturgy (I.e. only pastors and those called to ‘ministry’ can be ordained, etc.). As we dissected this issue, Lyssah and I disclosed some of our frustrations, one of them being how much energy we were sowing outside our calling, or rather, our perception of calling.

But by conversation’s end, I started to realize how my construct of God-given purpose was off.

Our purpose isn’t given to us by our settings and surroundings, but is given as an inheritance, a faith downpayment, a gift from above that not only connects to our original design but one we’re called to exercise throughout our lives from home to church, from market to marketpla

Once this lightbulb went off, I immediately understood why God called me to the desert – not only did He want to break off strongholds, like pride, ego, and faulty belief structures, but He wanted me to see how it was because He had more for me that He called me there.

For years, I compartmentalized my view of what being on mission, what being in ministry, looked like. Yes, I had a youth pastor outlet; however, I was still often annoyed given the pressure to cram a full-time effort within part-time hours. This is partly why my grudge against the state grew before my eyes were opened to see how God was calling me to lead in both church and marketplace arenas.

While there’s more I could say about this season, what I can speak to now concerns one of the initial impacts. Starting in 2015, I started to study the spiritual gifts (as unpacked in Paul’s letters) with a fresh pair of eyes, all the while creating content catered to two sets of vocationals:

  • Those who had a leg in corporate and ministerial arenas.
  • Those who were called to ministry outside the church.

In some of my explorations, I started to assess the spiritual gifts through work-based themes like work/home/church life balance, leadership, conflict resolution, networking, technology, goal setting, time management, etc. The more I dug in, the more I realized there is no hierarchy or exclusivity when it comes to “working with Jesus”, partnering with Him in daily tasks and fulfilling God’s purpose on our lives. We may be diverse in function but we’re co-equal in value given we’re co-laborers with Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9). The same worldly systems that promote entitlement, reciprocity, self-gratification/preservation/medication, etc. are the same systems that push leadership as a ladder to climb when the Word is clear in its trope of leading being the overflow of serving one another in the hope of unity, in the spirit of humility. 

Concerning the spiritual gifts, not only are there more than we might remember, but our spiritual identity with respect to them is no stranger to God. For each person, there is a divine order with varying weights that often goes unknown or misunderstood in spiritual journeys. Accordingly, it is my belief that any faith-based institution should be keen on helping its participants discover their ‘loved by God’ identity through the gifts and then seeing how they can be at work…at work. 

I like this graphic primarily due to its layout. While we don’t have time in this post to dive into all of them, I want to focus today on the seven gifts at the bottom of the screen, starting with the fivefold ministry gifts described in Ephesians 4: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers. These are leadership gifts given by Christ not just to the ordained ministers of the world but too all believers to equip the saints for ministry, build up the body of Christ, and foster unity and maturity in the faith.

As for the two in the bottom-right, these are grace gifts as defined in 1 Peter 4:10-11, service (deacon) and ‘teaching’ (elder) in an exhortation capacity, In this passage, Peter states how God has given every believer a spiritual gift to serve one another as good stewards of God’s grace, with the goal that all things glorify God through Christ. These gifts are not self-focused but are for the benefit and building up of the body at large with different gifts being empowered by the same Spirit and needing to be used with God’s strength for His glory. 

Having said all this, here’s the ‘crashiest’ of courses you may ever receive on the seven leadership gifts and how they’re meant to function in the marketplace…

Prophets…call God’s people to God’s ways. They are more about developing the design of organizational mission, less about developing people. They ‘redeem’ an environment by expressing a wisdom that gives clarifies organization’s vision/mission for co-workers.

Evangelists…those who are gifted to reach unbelievers. They tend to be more gatherers with acts of service being their community gift. Evangelists are more concerned about developing the organization through developing people. They ‘redeem’ an environment by creating an inclusive team environment through love and acceptance.

Pastors…those who encourage believers with the spoken word. More concerned about developing people than managing systems. They ‘redeem’ their environment by creating joy through encouraging people on how important they are as people to the organization and by helping them see how their temperaments complement the organization.

Teachers…those who systematically make disciples and develop management systems. More concerned about preserving the organization. They ‘redeem’ their environment by raising team morale through breaking down systems into easy action steps and by helping them see how the systems help everyone reach their mutual goals.

Apostles…coordinate the other gifts and helps them work together. Leading and directing are their community gifts. They ‘redeem’ their environment by coordinating a team in a way that generates hope by maximizing each team member’s gift and designing products/projects that emphasize a redemptive gift of the organization.

Elders…those who impart themselves. More about managing people/Less about developing people. They are big picture minded in that that they see the value of systems, but they REALLY see the value of helping people find their places in the system. They are manager-developers who gravitate to systems but are motivated to help people find their seat on the bus.

Deacons…more about managing systems for the sake of people. They are motivated to implement proven systems that help people work together*. A deacon is part of the pastoral gift cluster, but in the workplace may not be in a direct support capacity but a ‘hidden’ support capacity. They ‘redeem’ their environment by creating an atmosphere of goodness and gratitude through giving and bringing order to the organizational environment.

*Note: A deacon’s gift is the broader concept of “serving others” through the use of whatever spiritual gifts one has received from God. This isn’t limited to a specific role, but encompasses a general ability to use God-given talents, like mercy, hospitality, administration, and giving, to serve the needs of the Christian community.

Graphic creds: Walk with Scripture

Dust in the Wind: The Beauty in Being ‘Dirty’

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Recently, Kansas’ ‘Dust in the Wind’ came on my local oldies FM.

I close my eyes
Only for a moment and the moment’s gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes with curiosity
Dust in the win
All they are is dust in the wind

Sounds depressing, right? Like a poor man’s romantic anthem to Ecclesiastes…

“‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’
says the Teacher.
‘Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

Applied to our hopes and ambitions, these lyrics can seem maddening. What about my God given purpose? Is it void, useless, just a vain rat race underneath the cosmos?

Hardly! If anything, within these lyrics lies an affirming contrast, one that marks not only our earthly identity but vocational calling. To illustrate, let’s consider the difference between chaff and dust.

When exploring the reasons why we live, chances are we’re not considering the byproducts of grain processing. Still, the Word is clear our physical bodies were created from dust and will return as such (Genesis 3:19). With eternity in mind, we must accept the metaphor as core to our finiteness. While dust may seem unpleasant, by definition, it is a pure particle occasionally suspended in air but designed to settle whereas chaff is a scaly covering intended to be separated or burned. No wonder the Word often references chaff in the context of iniquity. For chaff to be purified, it must become a new creation. But with dust, it is already fine and capable of influencing everything from cloud formation to nutrient cycling.

Tying this to the surface, we find personal meaning. Although our bodies are fragile pillars, albeit with mind, heart, soul, and spirit, it’s still a sacred vessel created for finding rest and inspiring growth, even in times of displacement and turbulence. Kind of like, oh, I don’t know…dust!

Some of you reading this may be caught in chaotic currents or stuck in a false sense of worthlessness. You may feel as low as dust, easily swept away in the wind, not strong enough to stand in your own strength. But I challenge you, friends, to see the beauty in that. If all else, stand firm (Ephesians 6:13) and if you can’t stand, then settle in Jesus with every intention to rely on Him to carry you. You may feel like you’re passing away; however, rather than wade in insecurity, dare to consider where you’re passing away to.

‘Cause truth is: God can use you even if you feel like dust in the wind. He can use you to inspire vertical growth as you wisp for His glory. He can sustain you as you ignite precipitation to fall and become rivers of living water. He can strengthen you as you sow and position seeds in tough terrain to receive what they need to flourish. I could go on.

Just remember none of this is possible without the Creator and Sustainer of dust; hence, why Qoheleth prologues his book with ‘meaningless’, as life is without the answer and the reason of life. How sweet it is to know with His breath, He purified us from the ground so the ground would have no ultimate authority over our final destination. Yet, even as we come back to it in this life, we can fulfill God’s original design for our lives.

Cheers to being dust in the wind alongside you…

Selah…and remember, friends, be excellent to each other...

Cover graphic creds: iStock

Staying the Course: The Epitome of Workplace Resilience

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One of my favorite times of the year occurs during this third week of March. If you’re a hoops fan, you know what’s up.

Of course, I’m talking about March Madness and the bracketology insanity sweeping the nation. Nothing like a barrage of action-packed, down-to-the-wire basketball games highlighting a stretch that sees winter doldrums fade into early spring crazes.

Yet, amidst the signs of seasonal transition, I’m taken back by a certain notion, one often unpopular despite its ~99.9% success rate. That take in three words? Stay…the…course¹.

Perhaps I’m inspired by honest charges rooted in athletic and battle-cry themes. Perhaps I’m getting older and have lived long enough to see the directive verify. Regardless, I wouldn’t be writing this if my motivation lacked potential impact, relevancy, and most importantly, Scriptural ties.

As always, let’s dive in…

In the Word, one can find many examples of what staying the course looks like, both directly and indirectly. For today’s purposes, we’ll concentrate primarily on New Testament themes. Starting with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5), we find a series of entrust statements from Jesus at the Mount of Beatitudes (I.e. “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth, blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted”, etc). Taking the mean of these eight veracities, we find powerful tropes with eternal implications. While many derivatives can be gleaned, one in particular stands out: You are blessed when you stay the course, walking with God steadily on the road revealed by God while making every effort to seek Him in gratitude.

As Paul testifies in Acts 20:24 and 2 Timothy 4:7, “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” All spoken with utmost intention as bedrocks for hope, righteousness, and in some cases, the fulfillment of ministry. The problem for some of us lies in how we conditionally apply and abide within any discipline requiring vertical dependence.

Starting out on any journey, our aim is to anchor what we believe into what we practice.

In every way, in all we say, we aspire to honor God in the culture and community He’s placed us in.

How then do we cope when not everyone is on the same page as to what following God looks like? What if the mission is pure but the roadmap leading there is potentially riddled with fear, compromise, even complacency? What if our loyalty and commitment aren’t acknowledged or matched by those around us? How can we stay the course when the environment around us is harsh, in decay, or forgets we’re playing a part in making the dream fly?

For starters, we must remember any form of faithfulness we exude is a gift from God and a ‘yes’ to following in Christ’s likeness. While we honor our authorities, leaders, and governing principalities, we achieve this through the overflow of surrender unto God for all He has done and continues to accomplish. This is why daily dying to our preferences John 3:30 and 1 Corinthians 2:14-style is crucial to not giving into our anxieties and fleshly desires. Often, we take inventory by way of our shoulder. We pull back, hesitate, and withdraw due to what’s not working, what’s being missed or even the fear of these things happenings; however, as valid as our occupational concerns may be, we must not automatically synonymize them to the satisfaction of our own needs. After all, when we consider Paul’s example, we note true strength is not only relying on God but realizing His desire to mature us through adversity. Accordingly, we shouldn’t assume God is lifting His hand or readying an audible when the presence of pressure or partisan hits. Rather, in those moments, we should see the immediate prompt to recommit our ways and recast our cares, repetition be darned.

Granted, I understand this is easier said than done, especially when transition seems constant; however, as one who has seen his fair share, I implore you: Do not embrace offense when you see people making choices you wouldn’t make or when any form of health is inadvertently withdrawn. As much as we crave peace of mind, we shouldn’t let a temporary lack prevent us from championing the peace of Christ as far as it be with us (Romans 12:18). And hear me, friends, I get the disorientation that comes when traction and stability are moving targets. I understand how hard it can be when you’re waiting years for due diligence and the dust to settle. But at the end of the day…

We can’t move on as God intended without putting ourselves in position for God to reveal His next best steps for us.

For when we’re actively communing with God and relinquishing the entitlement to make sense of our surroundings, only then will we recognize the epitome of resilience, which in vocational terms, is enduring with integrity and humility even when what is right and necessary are concealed.

As Vince Lombardi, Thomas Edison, and many a Chinese and Biblical Proverb have stated, in this life, many will quit prematurely, forge pathways to greener pastures, and manufacture their own resets. Many will find what they’re looking for but in the wrong way. But as for us, regardless of how we’re feeling, our foundation must be God and our call to follow Him. Consider the Psalmist in Psalm 119:1-8 (ESV/MSG):

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who stay the course, who seek God with their whole heart…and walk in His ways! You have commanded your pathways to be kept diligently. Oh, that my ways may be steadfast in keeping [them]! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn of your [next step]…”

Stay tuned next time when I’ll discuss the right ways we can seek transition from a current employer as a ‘part 2’ to this post using Exodus 33 as a guide. Until then, be blessed, stay classy, and don’t give up.

Selah.

Graphic creds: iStock

Footnotes

  1. Or “stand by your ground“

Real-Life Habits: A Practical Example to Transform Your Life

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Written 11/26/24 for our latest MercyTalk podcast…

Back in April 2018, four months removed from a seven-year youth pastor assignment, I had a revelation that produced a habit I still practice to this day.  As a state employee working in a stale environment, I sensed my walk with the Lord was starting to wane. For so long, motivation and inspiration overflowed naturally courtesy of 50 students and an opportunity to mature leadership in a liturgical setting; however, once I released the calling, I realized how much of my identity had become baked into my influence. Without youth in my life, I felt lost. Apart from my family, there was little to no accountability to guide my relationship with Jesus. Needing a spark, I knew my internal compass needed a reset.

So, I decided I would not only have daily quiet times during each morning commute but record them on my iPhone. With my weekly commutes averaging out to 6.5 hours, I figured I might as well talk and pray with God as I battle the banes of Nashville traffic. The decision turned out to be a game-changer as not only did the practice settle my spirit each day before work but allowed me to hear the mix of truth and lies roaming within. On some days, conviction came by declaring God’s Word out into the open; on others, I found grace simply in coming to Jesus as I was. In either case, my quiet time commutes were my happy hours during which I took thoughts captive and replaced them with holy perspective.

Fast-forward to October 2022 and I’m a month removed from losing my daughter, Jubilee, who took her last breath in my lap after a 393-day fight with chronic lung disease. For weeks I had been stone cold, flooding the pavement with tears during my workouts. Yet, everywhere else, the frozen numbness of grief had overtaken me. That’s when I returned to the practice of recording my quiet times on drives to work. During Jubilee’s life, the habit had faded to back-burner status through all the hustle and bustle. While there were times before Juju’s death when I felt as if I was walking on water, I sensed the sinking heading into 2023. If there ever was a time to rekindle the rhythm, this was it.

Like five years prior, I found myself pressing the red record button in my Audio app more frequently. With vulnerability on blast, there was never an intention of sharing the files with anyone. I simply needed to feel a connection with God, to feel His presence and listening ear calming the choppy waters of my soul. Occasionally, I would stumble upon an ‘ah ha’ moment, an epiphany with content-creating potential; however, the end goal was always to make room for God to invade my space and to catch Him doing it so I wouldn’t forget.

Having reached 400 records as of 11/20/2024, I can confidently say this habit has proven effective in stabilizing my mind, emotions, and walk with God all in one swoop. I especially recommend the practice for those in seasons of chaos in which they want to declutter or ‘spring clean’ their heart to hear the Shepherd’s voice more clearly.

Cover photo creds: Medium

Let Your ‘In Christ’ Be at Work

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Last December, I was taking inventory of my New Years goals and resolutions when the following revelation occurred to me: Why is it we’re more comfortable being for Christ than in Christ? Why does the thought of ‘in Christ’ intimidate us?  

For many of us, we trust God and His Word as irrefutable truth, our belief a banner we wave and a root system anchoring our thoughts and behaviors. Like many Christians, we can wrap our minds around Christ in us by way of salvation and sanctification. Yet, even though we know God is infinitely greater, even though we can generally comprehend the life He facilitates, we sometimes struggle to grasp our lives 24/7/365 in Him and accordingly struggle to scale the challenges in front of us.  

Often, we settle into rhythms, patterns, and mindsets where faith exists at their core. Still, I can’t help but wonder how they would change if we saw the ‘abiding in Christ’ potential in them. As to how we connect the dots, I submit we start by considering not only what does it mean to be ‘in Christ’ but how do we let our ‘in Christ’ be at work? 

First, we must discern what it means to be ‘in Christ’. To be in Christ means we’re unified with Him personally and corporately. In Galatians, Paul talks about our new ‘in Christ’ identity by way of putting our hope and faith in Him. For many, we hear the phrase during baptisms and communions when we identify with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. Where the Cross has power, there we can abide in Christ as we walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:4-5), which defined one way, is resurrection applied to every thought, pattern, belief, decision, temptation, all facets and modes of life. 

While ‘newness of life’ can seem like a lofty phrase, one can always translate this to the surface through basic affirmations, saying ‘yes’ to ‘I’m loved by God’, ‘yes’ to the Cross and Jesus purchasing us at a price, ‘yes’ to leaving our sinful pasts behind, to ‘It is finished’, if you will. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, we embrace a new identity as children reconciled to God and our part of one body, the family of God, in which we abide from victory, not for it.  

In Christ we find deliverance and healing, victory and life, goodness and godliness. Colossians 3:3 says we have died and our lives are hidden with Christ, notable as this also reflects how we’re to store His Word after spiritually ingesting it.

Effectively, to be ‘in Christ’ means God sees the righteousness of His Son operating in and through us.  

But how do we exactly walk in this? For starters, we must position ourselves to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. While many recognize this opportunity as a gift of accepting Christ’s sacrifice as payment for our rap sheets, unfortunately, not all believers allow their minds to be renewed as spiritual walks fatigue and, in some cases, become compartmentalized. Sometimes, the hindrance is due to offenses that have matured to doubts, fears, bitterness, and resentments. When we tolerate these love-forsaken realities, our spiritual accounting becomes off-balance, where the cost of following Christ becomes almost equal to not following Him; hence, why many grow weary and stagnant. Over time, we become like vehicles wanting to hit the road yet are too scared about the fluids required to get there. Eventually, we stomach enough to reset and ramp onto new pathways, but with limited containers of health.  

This leads me to another critical point…

When we take stock of our walk every new year, we must understand ‘reset’ and ‘renew’ are not the same.

With a reset, you take your plate to God where grace is received through humility and rest is received by the surrendering of your will in the moment, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, one must be daily dying in the context of vertical intimacy. Take it from one who’s failed in this time and time again: It doesn’t make sense to reset our walks, and by proxy, our vocational and spiritual trajectories, if we don’t intend to renew our minds, respond to conviction, and invite God into our brokenness. 

Again, the obstacles are many but with them comes a challenge we must relish: In our aims to be equipped and effective, from knowledge base to spiritual growth, in our desire to experience greater wholeness, we must open ourselves up to be healed in our emotions. How we tend our broken hearts corporately cannot be swept under the carpet of mission, in the call we have to lay groundwork for holy repair. In the context of heaven meets earth, we may genuinely desire effectiveness; however, if we’re not acknowledging God in all our ways, if we’re not grasping our ‘loved-by-God, in-Christ identity’, our reach, the authenticity of our influence, will be capped.  

So, my hope for us this year is at the least two-fold:  

  1. That we release any inhibitions in fully surrendering our lives to God.  
  2. That we give God more room to invade our space in all areas of life. 

Not just at church, on Sundays, in our quiet times, but in our offices, the phone lines, conversations, yes, even the secret thoughts we have about each other. For if we’re not committed to being in-Christ, then our pride, anger, fear, self-centeredness will remain relevant, hinder our transformation, and prevent our minds from being renewed as God intended.  

In summary, to be ‘in Christ’ is more than being content under the shadow of His wings, more than being grateful on account of sovereignty and grace, even more than our redemption. To be ‘in Christ’ is to be so united to Jesus by faith, so in awe of the Cross and the ministry of reconciliation that our dependence detaches from anything that could make it conditional and the transformation by the renewal of our minds become an overflow of discovering God as He pursues us. 

May our ‘in Christ’ be at work, always and forever, even as we heal, even as we’re desperate, on and off the clock.  

Cover graphic creds: Ligonier